Comprehensive Travel Insurance is part of the Vero group. Their solution allows travellers to enter details of travel plans and purchase insurance. The purchase details are written into a database and processed by a .NET application, via SOAP to a remote accounting system. It was decided to process sales on a delayed basis so that any failure in communication between the web solution and the accounting system would not stop sales.

Due to the possibility that customer travel details might be updated / changed in the accounting solution, a link to the accounting solution is established and confirmed should the customer return to the web page to change or view their insurance details. The handshaking between the two solutions is completed in very short time, to enable the traveller to quickly gain the information they require. The web solution is updated with changes from the accounting solution before providing travel data to the user. Changes made on line are again pushed back to the accounting solution.

The solution allows travellers to enter details of their travel plans into a friendly web page and indicate whether they have pre-existing medical conditions. Depending on customer declarations, they are seamlessly linked to a third party artificial intelligence medical assessment solution. Customer details are passed to the assessment solution as web service parameters. Medical risk ratings are returned from the assessment solution in XML format. These details are recorded against the traveller; decisions on cover or exclusion are then presented to the user.

A record of traveller interaction with the assessment solution is presented to the traveller and appropriate letters of confirmation or exclusion are generated for the traveller. A full audit trail is retained for quality assurance and trouble-shooting. This enabled Southern Cross Travel Insurance to reduce the cost of claims processing.

While most aggregate tests could be performed at the local laboratory, some tests were specific to specialist laboratories and needed to be tracked through the validation process. This was handled by a manual pen and paper process at each lab. Starsoft was contracted to develop a web based solution to computerise all the tests and track samples through the validation process.

The resulting solution

• Handles user access for 31 sites and laboratories
• Links test access to laboratory technician certification
• Tracks samples shipped between sites
• Performs complex mathematical algorithms for the testing process
• Provides interim and final reporting with certification
• Produces status and quality reporting
• Reports summary data, trend analysis, and product summary
• Reports include graphs and tables in the output documentation and can be generated in PDF format and emailed automatically
• Processes samples and test to Sub contracted labs
• Imports results from external laboratories

This solution is written in Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008

The solution was originally build in Visual FoxPro 6 and subsequently upgraded to VFP8. Customer hesitancy to upgrade from their current OS precludes upgrade to VFP9 at this stage. Twelve years on, the aggregated sales and stock data are handled without problem at Head Office. The off-site Warehouse team link into the Head Office solution via RDC.

Store POS

• Inventory management
• Specials and Sales promotions across the group and store specific
• Transfers between stores
• Cash and Credit facilities
• Overnight transfer of sales figures etc. to Head Office using VFP apps on Windows schedule and POP loading to mailbox.
• Overnight receipt of stock and pricing updates from Head Office
• Barcode scanning of stock into POS using VFP apps on Windows schedule and POP download from mailbox.

Head Office Accounting

• Aggregation of sales and stock movements across all stores
• Restocking of stores using handheld barcode scanners to ensure accuracy of data
• Stock take reconciliation
• Sales reporting
• Stock level and stock performance reporting
• Generation of special offer / promotional prices to update store prices
• Bar code printing of stock labels
• Send / receive of stock and sales information from the stores using VFP apps on Windows schedule and POP upload/download from mailbox.

Because of a lack of presence on the ground in Australia, traveller - customer contact was limited. Therefore, we instigated the following

• SMS of insurance confirmation to mobile phone with facility to pick up SMS failures and relate this back to the customer
• PDF generation of travel documents delivered via email
• Post sales application which allows the user to view or reprint or resend their travel documents from anywhere in the world
• Quick alert to the customer of any data entry problems that the user is experiencing
• Online claiming process which the traveller can access from anywhere
• State specific date/time stamping of all documentation
• Compliance to the complex state tax regimes

Microsoft Visual Studio 2007 with data held in Microsoft SQL server 2005 database

The solution was rebuilt in Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 with data held in Microsoft SQL server 2005

These changes included:

• URL encryption
• Password encryption
• All possibilities for SQL injection handled
• Separate banking facility secure login pages
• DLL execution prevention
• Command injections rejected
• Removal of user name from the menu
• Removal U = nnn login function
• Force best practice strong user password, expiry lock out terms, and password update with uniqueness over ten uses
• Appropriate handling of errors
• User page access validated at menu and page level
• Code review

The final solution was a web based application which all parties could access from anywhere in Australasia and South East Asia.

The final design included:

• Generation of newsprint delivery files at the manufacturers’ legacy solution which passes incoming inventory data into the web solution
• Use of Symbol MC1000 and MC3000 handheld devices running Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 32-bit version and ActiveSync 4.2 software. These have reduced functionality copies of the menu options found on the web solution. This handled the arrivals, movements, consumption, damage, breaks, reconciliation, and wastage functions associated with newsprint rolls.
• Docking retrieval of the handheld data to a hhftp.exe tools and accessories written in VFP 8 to process data from the handheld format into files accepted by the web solution
• Facility to process legacy data in file format from the Printing Presses which is uploaded via FTP through an AGV Transfer application into the web solution
• Frequent retrieval of newsprint quality and invoicing information from the manufacturing system’s Oracle database updating the web solution
• Automated calculation of stock ordering presented to the manufacturing system based on customer newsprint consumption and pre-defined rules.
• Automation of user defined reports, run in background mode and delivered via email as scheduled
• Acceptance of multiple file formats for the recording of newsprint arrivals, movements, consumption, damage, breaks, reconciliation, and wastage which can be generated from the various print site printing solutions and loaded via FTP to the web solution

The web solution is written in MS Visual Studio 2007 running on SQL Server 2005

Key components are:

• A content management base which allows the administrators to add a new Web Page, add a new News/Event item, edit an existing web page
• Process rules which include for pages to be entered by an authorised Publisher or approved and marked as OK to Publish before they will be displayed
• Easy setup of users, with specific user rights based on their user level and the print site they are associated with
• Scheduled reports
• User Resources pages which allow the user to customise the portal based on their requirements within their assigned security
• Six Forums covering a variety of subjects which allow for interaction between users from within the manufacturing company and their customers. This allows for a quick exchange of ideas and dissemination of knowledge.
• Programmatically controlled Feedback process which ensures that all customer feedback is processed through the appropriate departments and signed off within the contracted period of time. Automated alerts are sent to HOD’s when the time-frames appear to be under threat.
• Easy posting of news and industry specific information by the manufacturer.
• The upload of customer reports into the Portal so that manufacturing personnel could share reporting as well as keep a history of customer feedback.

To accomplish this we:

• Took the opportunity to copy the sites to new VS2008 projects within the solution, to enable legacy code to drop out
• Shared the products across the development team
• Used Team Foundation Server to track changes

Features of this solution include:

• Order status report which allows the user to access and drill down into the status of previous orders held in the manufacturer’s system. This interrogates data held in an Oracle database.
• The user is provided with multiple replenishment options – based on the movement or consumption of newsprint on the basis of average, date range, static or tonnage levels. They can choose to handle their ordering directly or trust the data and select Automated Ordering. During automated ordering, when orders are scheduled to be created, the windows app analyses requirements for the cycle period and generates an order file in the format required by the manufacturing system. Essentially, the windows app simulates all the actions of the user.
• A scheduled windows application picks up the generated order file and presents it to an EDI system which moves the file to the manufacturing system. This process runs every ten minutes, checking to ensure that all order files delivered to the EDI system have been processed through the manufacturing system by searching for the order in the Oracle database. Within the order being created there are multiple attempts to confirm the files arrival in the Oracle database, a maximum of 3 notifications of failure could be sent.

This solution is written in Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and utilizing SQL Server 2005.

General support is handled under a general dataset heading. Each of these data sets is termed a “help desk”.

Access to Help Desks and help desk functions are controlled by the administrator. This ensures intellectual property security should specific Help Desk projects be sensitive. It also means that third parties and independent contractors can be given access to information within the project they are working at but kept out of other areas of the business. Each of the Help Desks is fully customisable – with the administrator defining which of the multiple functions they want to access for each Help Desk and what terminology they want to use for the associated tasks. If additional terms are required after the start of the project, they can be added in. Sub tasks can be created and assigned within each entry.

The administrator also determines who receives email notification when a new entry is created within the help desk, when the status [or any field] of the task changes, and when the task is complete. Quick search on task id or text allows for a quick find of information. Filters, retained in memory against the user, quickly bring up relevant data. Reporting is available based on all of the help desk fields. Time of task entry and time to completion, through each stage, are recorded.

The greatest benefit is the sharing of information in real time across a variety of people. Second to this is the historical information that provides a reminder of solutions to problems or issues that are useful again. Thirdly, all parties can track the process of tasks from conception to completion.